Concert review: Rock band Trailer Park Radio makes high-energy live debut at Boardner’s

LOS ANGELES — One night after longtime rock stalwarts Motley Crue played a farewell concert at the Hollywood Bowl, an up-and-coming act called Trailer Park Radio pumped some new blood into the local rock scene Tuesday, July 22, 2014, with a scaled-down concert debut at Boardner’s, a small venue on Cherokee Avenue just down the road from the Sunset Strip.

A crowd of 18,000 had greeted Motley Crue — about 99 percent more compared to the Trailer Park Radio performance. But incredibly Trailer Park Radio was actually more compelling, and the newbies didn’t need any pyrotechnics, fancy light shows, backing tapes or half-dressed female dancers to pull it off.

Meet the new face of Los Angeles rock.

Except for a huge dose of popularity, undiscovered Trailer Park Radio has it all: catchy songs, excellent musicianship and, most importantly, a hunger to succeed that pushes the very boundaries of passion. Oh how fun it is to discover a promising new band, and Trailer Park Radio is on the brink.

The name does not tell you a lot, hinting perhaps that this is an artsy alternative-style unit giving us a wink or perhaps a group of musicians who sport mullets and wear wife-beater Ts. But Trailer Park Radio plays straight-ahead rock with a nod towards Soundgarden-era post-grunge.

In fact, singer Tyler Crook, who had a brief stint in Fuel, sounds a bit like Chris Cornell but with a style all his own. The one thing for sure is Crook has star quality, and he was really finding his groove by the third song of the set, “Time Stands Still,” that saw the small but eager crowd creeping their way closer to the stage.

“The Only One” was another highlight, as guitarist Lucas Kanopa (Black Magic Revolution) shredded away while the rhythm section of drummer Joey Durant and bassist Jaime Schur held down the beat with a fiery intensity.

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Trailer Park Radio has a lot of hooks, a stream of memorable choruses and just enough attitude not to be labeled a pop band. In essence, the group is everything a rock act should be.

The key now is getting enough attention, and Durant believes Trailer Park Radio is on the way.

“Rock is totally coming back, and I’d love for this to happen,” Durant said. “As soon as this band all got into the same room together, I knew something special was going on.”

As far as first shows go, Trailer Park Radio appeared tight and well-rehearsed, though obviously the quartet figures to improve with the confidence that comes from continuing to play live. If you had to bet on a new act making it big, Trailer Park Radio is no long shot.

By the time the band finished, they were a sweaty mess, yet the crowd wanted more. That’s always a good sign.